Dhaka is set to raise its objection at the United Nations shortly to India and Myanmar’s claims over certain areas in the Bay of Bengal which has led to disputes over delimitation of maritime boundaries.
Bangladesh is preparing its case for extraction of marine resources, especially gas exploration, in the Bay of Bengal but has not been able to invite tenders for block bidding as its maritime boundary has not been demarcated as yet.
‘We are taking preparations to put forward our objection at the UN by June to Myanmar’s claim and by November to India’s claim in the Bay of Bengal,’ an official involved with the process told New Age on Monday.
Myanmar has already submitted its claim on maritime delimitation to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, a UN body to deal with the law of the sea, last December while India is set to submit its claim today.
According to the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea, Bangladesh must demarcate its sea boundaries by July 27, 2011, India by June 29, 2009 and Myanmar by May 21, 2009.
About the latest developments over the issue, retired commodore Khorshed Alam, an additional secretary to the foreign ministry, told New Age that according to the UN provision, claims submitted by any country would not be taken for final consideration before settling the objection raised by a neighbouring country which might have overlapping claims.
The former navy official, assigned for handling the issue, said that Bangladesh was well preparing to lay its claims at the United Nations before the deadline.
Dhaka resumed negotiations with India and Myanmar last year, during the regime of the military-controlled interim government, after a lapse of almost three decades.
Dhaka opted to go for the negotiations as India and Myanmar recently opposed Bangladesh’s offshore block bidding for exploration of oil and gas even within its territorial waters as Dhaka did not have an internationally accepted exclusive economic zone.
Bangladesh has problems with India and Myanmar on the issue of ‘starting point’ on how to mark the coastlines from the exclusive economic zone that has apparently overlapped claims of the three neighbouring countries due to the funnel-like shape of the Bay of Bengal.
A country is supposed to enjoy its right to fish and extract and explore other marine resources in its exclusive economic zone, an area of 200 nautical miles into an adjacent sea, according to international maritime law. Front Page

Why so late? why no ones speak? is it cause Americans were enjoying that show of shame in 1972 from their aircraft carrier at Bay of Bengal? cause American dog was on guard of that room were Bengali women were raped by Pakistanis.

Dhaka: Thirty-eight years after Bangladesh broke away from Pakistan, the two countries are sparring over the "war crimes" committed in 1971, a media report here said on Monday.

Dhaka has set in motion the process of trying the survivors among those who killed unarmed civilians, targeting sympathisers of the freedom struggle and religious minorities, especially Hindus.

It has sought help from the UN as well as cooperation from Pakistan, where many of the Islamist militia members are believed to be living.

However, a senior Pakistani official's remark that Bangladesh should "move on" has elicited an angry response from Dhaka, the New Age newspaper reported Monday.

Masood Khalid, additional secretary for Asia Pacific in Pakistan's foreign office, told visiting Bangladeshi media in Islamabad Saturday that war crime trials in Bangladesh could "hamper ties" and "cast a shadow" on relations between the two countries.

"We should not remain frozen in time but should look forward," said Khalid.

In response, Bangladeshi Law Minister Shafiq Ahmed said Sunday that Pakistan had no right to comment on "our internal matter".

"Each state has the right to try criminals on its own territory. We urge other countries not to interfere with our internal matters. The Bangladesh government will try its own citizens, who committed crimes against humanity in 1971, in this country," he said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling Awami League, which led the independence war, has moved swiftly to try the Bangladeshi perpetrators of war crimes since it came to power in January.

It has also demanded an apology for the killing of three million Bangladeshis and rape of 300,000 women by the Pakistani Army during the bloody nine-month war.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni told Pakistan High Commissioner Alamgir Bashar Khan Babar on May 12 that his country must resolve the issue of an apology.

However, Pakistan does not acknowledge the scale of the killings and rapes. Former president Parvez Musharraf, during his trip to Dhaka in July 2002, only apologised for "developments in 1971".

Bangladesh reiterated its demand for an apology May 15, a day after a Pakistan foreign ministry official urged Dhaka to "let bygones be bygones".

India will not give up any claim in the Bay of Bengal now that it knows that its filled with natural gas. So Bangladesh will not be getting any EEZ. 12miles of territorial waters is what it has to make do with.

Army seeks to form crisis unitProposed Quick Reaction Force to tackle internal security; can be sent for UN peacekeeping; JS body to discuss the proposal
Shakhawat Liton

Bangladesh Army seeks to form a special unit named, Quick Reaction Force (QRF), to ensure the country's internal security, particularly to tackle on an urgent basis -- incidents like mutinies and bombings.

Terming such an unit 'indispensable' for the country 'under the current circumstances', the army in a report claimed that QRF troops will be able to neutralise the threats to the nation much quicker, sources said quoting from the proposals stipulated in the report.

Placed for discussion before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Defence Ministry on last Thursday, the report also suggested that the government approves formation of a QRF brigade.

In the report the army termed the absence of QRF as one of its weaknesses in relation to rendering assistance to the government for maintaining internal security.

If QRF is formed, it can also be sent to UN peacekeeping missions on short notice, which will elevate Bangladesh Army's image in the international arena, the report claimed.

The report also suggested forming a national crisis [management] committee in light of the 'current reality' to deal with all possible future crises.

The national probe committee investigating the recent BDR mutiny, in its report submitted to the government last month, also suggested formation of a national crisis management committee at the top level. The February 25-26 BDR mutiny this year, left 74 people dead, including 57 army officers who had been working in the border security force on deputation.

The proposals for the formation of the national crisis management committee came after the National Security Council, the highest consulting body on security affairs, had become defunct, observed security experts.

"The absence of a national crisis management committee comprising all ministries and forces, might result in a lack of coordination and waste of time. That could create a national crisis, or the public might lose confidence in the security forces," said the army's report.

The report also focused on threats to the country's security, and on possible grounds for Bangladesh to get involved in unwanted internal and external wars.

Internal reasons identified in the report, for which Bangladesh Army might get involved in conflicts are: if the Chittagong Hill Tract separatist movement is revived; if any non-state force or terrorists adopt the policy of an uneven warfare, or if any terrorist base inside the country threatens global peace and stability; and if law and order deteriorates and the government's authority is challenged by anti-people activities of drug and arms dealers.

"According to Bangladesh's foreign policy, we will not initiate a war. But, Bangladesh might inadvertently get engaged in a conflict due to various reasons. A recent analysis stated that since 1990 militaries of the world got involved in 30 to 40 small and large conflicts a year. Most of those conflicts did not involve a foreign country, but were caused by internal disturbances or clashes," the report said.

The army in the report expressed faith that it will be possible to implement all necessary measures required to keep the army always prepared, if the proposals are placed before the parliament and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina through the parliamentary standing committee.

The prime minister is currently holding the portfolio of the defence ministry, along with the control of the Armed Forces Division.

Since formation of the current government, the prime minister pledged to transform Bangladesh Army into a modern force, the report said hoping that the army will continuously be strengthened by implementation of the prime minister's pledges and by the parliamentary committee's prudent guidance.

The report said the army's vision, objective, and mission is to protect and defend the integrity and sovereignty of the country from internal and external threats, by building a modern and skilled force.

The parliamentary standing committee at a meeting on May 28 opened a discussion on the army's proposals, problems, and possible solutions to those.

In its report the army also focused on the needs for formulating a national defence policy to specify terms and references, organisational importance, and guidelines for all armed forces.

The parliamentary body echoed the view, and asked the defence ministry and the Armed Forces Division to place the draft defence policy, which is already prepared, at the committee's next meeting for discussion.

Ruling Awami League (AL) in its electoral manifesto, pledged to formulate a national defence policy, and to build modern and skilled defence forces to safeguard the country's independence and sovereignty against any threat.

Bangladesh military budget raised beyond expectationThe government has raised military spending to Tk 8,382 crore in the proposed budget.

Finance minister AMA Muhith, in his budget speech on Thursday, also proposed to raise the original allocation of Tk 7,967 crore in the current fiscal to Tk 8,196 crore in the revised budget for FY 2009-10.

He told parliament that the government was set to keep the armed forces "above all controversy."

"Currently, we do not have any codified defence policy," Muhith said and added that they would follow a participatory approach in formulating a National Defence Policy.

The finance minister also stressed reinforcing diplomatic initiatives along with restructuring the defence system to ensure national security.

Defence purchase of Bangladesh Army is dependent on a derisory 6 percent of the fund allocated for the force while over 83 percent of the share is spent on salaries, allowances, services and supplies.

The acute shortage of fund stands in the way to modernisation of the force, says a report of the army, analysing the allocations and expenditures of the last four fiscal years.

The report was placed before the parliamentary standing committee on defence ministry on May 28 for discussion to elicit recommendations to resolve the problem. The Daily Star obtained a copy of the report.

The report says Tk 192 crore has been allocated in the four fiscal years since 2005-06 for procuring armament and ammunition against the army's requirement of Tk 403 crore for purchasing ammunition alone.

It says 65.79 percent of the allocated fund was spent on salaries and allowances of the force in 2004-05, 69.30 percent in FY 2005-06, 72.03 percent in FY 2006-07 and 64.52 percent in FY 2007-08.

For services and supplies, which include pension, uniform, food, etc, 15.43 percent of the fund has been spent in the last four fiscal years since 2004-05. The expenditure was 14.30 percent in FY 2004-05, 15.91 percent in FY 2005-06, 15.90 percent in FY 2006-07 and 15.59 percent in FY 2007-08.

The report terms the budgetary allocation very inadequate for modernising the force as only 5.6 percent of the allocated fund was spent on defence purchase in FY 2004-05, 5.9 percent in FY 2005-06, 5.1 percent in FY 2006-07 and 7.2 percent in FY 2007-08.

The defence purchase for UN peacekeeping mission was on an average 8.46 percent in the said four fiscal years.

The report says the army could never meet its needs for ammunition because of budget constraints.

The force sought Tk 70.49 crore for just purchasing ammunition in FY 2005-06, but only Tk 1.41 crore was allocated for procuring both armament and ammunition. In FY 2006-07, the army got Tk 68.48 crore for purchasing armament and ammunition against a demand of Tk 61.56 crore for ammunition alone, Tk 79.97 crore in FY 2007-08 against a requirement for Tk 133.21 crore, and Tk 43.27 crore in FY 2008-09 against a demand of Tk 138.43 crore.

The report identifies insufficient funding as the "key problem" to starting replacement of outdated weaponry.
"Most of our weapons are from the 1960s and '70s, which belittles our overall military prowess," it says.

According to the report, 90.3 percent small arms and 89 percent field artillery guns used by the army were bought during 1960s-80s while all the tanks are from that period.

The report also focuses on the shortage of manpower in the force and says talented youths are discouraged to join the army as facilities in the civil and corporate professions are better than those in the military service. It suggests making the military service attractive by increasing salaries and other benefits.

The report points out that the number of engineer battalions is very inadequate for implementing development activities in different parts of the country. There is also a shortage of equipment to deal with natural disasters like flood, cyclone and earthquakes.

Referring to the "Forces Goal 2020", a set of goals outlined in 2004 for the modernisation of the army in accordance with the country's economic reality, the report says accomplishing those goals will help plug the force's organisational shortcomings and increase its operational capacity.

Bemoaning the fact that the lack of fund is making those targets harder to attain, the army maintains that the government should approve the Forces Goal 2020 in principle.

The report mentions that the defence budget of India is 2.38 percent of its GDP, 3.2 percent in Pakistan, 6 percent in Sri Lanka, 3.3 percent in Myanmar, and 1.7 percent in Nepal while it is only 1.1 percent in Bangladesh.

In the proposed budget for FY 2009-10, the government has announced that it wants to restructure the country's defence system to ensure security of the country and the people and continue to improve defence capability.

"Enhanced provision in terms of higher training, modern military hardware and other facilities for the army, navy, air force and border security forces will be provided, so that they are fully prepared to face the challenges of the 21st century," Finance Minister AMA Muhith said in his budget speech on June 11.

The finance minister proposed increasing the original allocation of Tk 7,967 crore for FY 2008-09 to Tk 8,196 crore in the revised budget and allocating Tk 8,382 crore in the budget for FY 2009-10.

Guys,have you seen pics of the DMP elite guards.........they are greatly armed,and trained aswell......,they are trained by the american swat,and are a very effective force........though they are not that great in number now,they are a quite a force to deal with.......but unlike the indian nsg or pak's ssg,i think they are a police wing

Bangladesh is another country which is not democratic.the only difference I found with that country is ,they are more closely knit as for Bengali Identity.the other one is ,I hope their text books don't teaches hate.
Except for this two ,Bangladesh can be as good as pakistan for India.The two worms piercing the wings of India :x .I read about some ideas like Moghulistan -a bridge to connect to pakistan from bengladesh which covers the Indian Muslim Majority Northern states including Delhi.
Until the Wahaabi/Salafi wave of Saud Arabs which influences Sunni Muslims calms down for some other version like Sufi Islam ,We ,the Poor Indians will be troubled for ever with bomb blasts et al.No Space for Jihad fi sabililah -HERE in India.Infact ,I believe Apostacy from Hard Line Medievel Junk is *Very* Necessary for the Peace of South Asia and World itself.

PS:I am not a hindu,christian or a moslem before someone jumps in.Truth must be said ,hopefully without provocating.

DO SPEAK THE TRUTH BUT LINKING TERRORISM TO A PARTICULAR RELIGION OR COMMUNITY IS NOT WELCOME IN HERE HOPE YOUR POST IS DIRECTED AGAINST THE TERRORISTS AND NOT TO A RELIGIOUS GROUP IN PARTICULAR.

Bd IS a democratic country.......and a secular one,if we listen to their foreign minister,Dipu Moni..........unlike pak,text books of bd dont spill hate towards hinduism or india,their history books is more like what we see here(i managed to get hold of one,and also heard the same from some bd friends)......the problem with bd is a more modern one,regarding the dams,this is the main cause for somewhat hostile indo-bangla relation,even in the pro-india Awami league tenure.........and the point is,we cannot afford another hostile neighbour,so its better for ND to solve matters peacefully......thnx

Peacecracker, Bangladesh is a democratic country, yes its democratic systems suffered when Military ruled the country for a decade just years after its independence, true that the existence of Radicalism in society but it would be noted Caretaker Govt. swiftly caught the dreaded terrorist Bangla Bhai and his accomplice and punished them after quick trial, we certainly can not equate Bangladesh to Pakistan, both of the country , India and Bangladesh should amicably settle the differences through Dialogue. Because both of us needs both.

^peacecracker there are radical forces within India destabilising us, if we can't kick them out how do you morally hope to chastise Bdesh ?

Click to expand...

Yes.Agreed.But these forces are allowed to do their misdeeds in India without any measures to eliminate them.

Else ,Tell Me- How can Popular Front of India(PFI) or NDF ,which is a saud funded terrorist group and now disguised as political party(PFI) operates in South India,Especially in kerala(malabar region especially).NDF is responsible for MARAD MASSACRE IN CALICUT,KERALA.

But the neighbours are religiously fighting holy war against India ,which is much more serious than these inside radical elements.

A strong government in centre without any bias can only solve the internal as well as external terrorism focused on India by CRUSHING the Sources.